Kathy
by Stella Luce 333
Summary: There are some things that you just can't run away from…A Code Lyoko fanfic inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer's "Anne."
1. Chapter 1

**Takes place between Season 2 & Season 3…**

Kathy's POV:

"Did you find everything you needed?" I asked my customers. It was a question we were required to ask, but I had no idea how people were able to find anything here. Despite the fact that we had racks & tables, everything seemed to get mixed into a heap…

"Yep…The perfect gift for my perfect woman." he said, pulling the girl who was with him into a little hug. I guess she was his girlfriend.

"You don't have to do this." she protested. "We need to save money for food, remember?"

"Maybe…but I want my pretty girl to have pretty things." He leaned in & kissed her.

If that's how he truly felt, there were tons of other stores in Paris that he could've taken her…Not this little discount clothing store on the outskirts of Paris…

Then again, those of us who live in this area typically can't afford anything better. I was lucky that my manager lets us take a 100% employee discount…

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" the girl asked.

"I don't think so." I said as I scanned their purchase. It was a set of those Best Friends necklaces.

"Wait, yes I do." she said. "You were a DJ at that party Kadic Academy hosted earlier this year, right? You were awesome!"

"I'm sorry…I don't know what you're talking about…" I said, even though I did. But that was part of my Old Life, the one I left behind…

"That'll be three Euros." I said, trying to change the subject. The sooner I got these people out the door the better. "Have a nice day." I said after they paid me.

I watched them go, trying not to think about everything I left behind…especially a certain boy who had made me feel that way…

Trying not to think about how a great evil had been released into the world, & my friends & I hadn't been able to stop it.

* * *

I headed home after a long day at work. I was pretty sure I still had some cereal at home, so that meant I was able to head straight home & see what was on the two TV channels that my apartment had…at lest until I got too tired & went to bed, so I'd be able to get up for work tomorrow…

As tired as I was though, I knew I was lucky to have this job. There were people in this town that were much worse off than me…

I turned the corner & there she was. It was the girl from earlier this afternoon, the one who had recognized me.

I quickly turned back around, but it was too late. She had already seen me.

"Hey, wait up!" she called, but I just kept on walking. She kept calling after me, but I ignored her as I hurried on my way. I might have been able to get away too, if she hadn't called out my old name. The one I thought I had left behind…

"_Alita!_"

* * *

**Don't worry if you're a little confused…I didn't want to give away too much in this first chapter, but hopefully it's just enough to prove that this isn't really an OC centric story…Everything will be explained…eventually…**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Alita's POV:

"How did you know?" I asked.

"It's not like there are that many girls who have pink hair." she pointed out. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody. I know what it's like to want to disappear." the girl continued. "You probably don't remember me. I wasn't at Kadic for very long…I called myself Iris back then, we had history class together?"

"Oh, right." I said, even though I didn't remember her at all. Then again, history had been my final class of the day, & I had often skipped it due to a XANA attack.

"So…why are you here?" she asked, falling into step beside me as I walked away.

"I…I learned some stuff about myself…stuff that wasn't very good." I said. After all, it wasn't like I could've told her the truth, that Franz Hopper was my father & he took me to Lyoko to keep me safe from the men that took my mother from us. That an evil computer virus was free, somewhere in the Internet, because I wasn't strong enough to stop him…& that any day now, that virus might decide that it was time to destroy the world…

"Oh." she said. "I'm sorry…"

I said nothing & kept walking.

"I've changed my name." she said. I guess she didn't realize that I didn't really want to talk. "It's Toya. Well, actually, I didn't pick it. Marco did. He's the guy you saw me with earlier?"

"He seems nice." I said. I wasn't sure what she wanted me to say…

"Oh, he's the most incredible guy in the world! I really think he's The One, you know? That One you're meant to be with your entire life?"

"That's good." I said, trying not to think about the guy I left behind…who might have been The One for me…

"Any way, I don't know if you still work as a DJ, but one of Marco's friends is having a party tonight, if you're interested. There's normally a cover charge, but entertainment gets in free…which would work out well, 'cuz I don't have enough to get us in…"

"I'm sorry…I'm not really a DJ." I said. "That party at Kadic was kind of a onetime thing…"

"Oh, ok…I guess maybe I'll see you around then? Hey!" she exclaimed as an elderly man bumped into her. "Watch where you're walking!"

The man paid no attention to her as he walked out into the street…straight into oncoming traffic…

I didn't stop to think, I just acted. I ran out & grabbed the man's arm, & pulled him, little by little, back on the side walk.

"Are you ok, sir?" I asked. What kind of crazy person just walks into traffic?

"I'm…I'm nobody." he said, walking away. Thankfully, this time he was using the side walk. "I'm nothing…"

* * *

**I'm terrible at character description, so you can find pictures of Toya & Alita on my profile. I feel really impressed with them this time…It took a lot of help from the Internet, as well as some random clicking on buttons, but "Kathy" has the correct hair color!**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Alita's POV:

"I need your help." a voice said from behind me. I was folding some of the tees on a display table. It's incredible how sloppy people can be when they're shopping!

"What can I help you with?" I asked, my sales training kicking in as I turned around. It was Toya. I didn't think I would see her again after what happened last night.

"Marco didn't come home last night." she said. "I don't know where he is. Can you help me find him?"

"I haven't seen him." I said.

"I don't know what to do." Toya said. "We've never been apart from each other for this long before, not without saying anything. Please, Kathy." She lowered her voce to a whisper. "I remember at Kadic, people would say that you & your friends would always help anybody who needed it…& I really need your help."

"They said that?" I asked, whispering too. I guess we weren't as unnoticed as we thought, especially once we had to stop relying on the Return Trips. We'll have to be more careful…No, wait, that's not my life any more…but…

"I have a lunch break in a few minutes." I said. "Think about where Marco might have gone, & I'll go with you to find him."

I didn't know it at the time, but it was probably a good thing that Toya decided to come for me for help. If she hadn't, things might not have worked out as well as they did…

* * *

"You guys like to hang out at the hospital?" I asked.

"Not really the hospital part, just the Blood Donation Center." Toya said as we entered. "They'll pay you for your time, & sometimes they have free snacks for the donors."

"Can I help you?" said the nurse sitting behind the desk. I glanced at Toya, but she seemed content to let me do the talking.

"We're looking for a friend of ours. Is there any way to know if he's been here recently?"

"You can check the sign in sheets." The nurse handed us a small note book. A book mark was sticking out of the most recent page.

"Do you see his name?" I asked Toya.

"No." She flipped back a page or so. "But here's where we signed in last week…"

I gave the book back to the nurse. "Thanks, but he's not in here. We really appreciate your help."

"No problem." the nurse said. "Maybe these can help you." She handed each of us a flyer for a place called The Home for Kin. "It's a really nice youth shelter that we've partnered with. Maybe your friend went there?"

"We'll keep it in mind, thanks." I said as we left.

* * *

"We've been sleeping here." Toya said as she led the way with her flash light. It was late, & I was tired from working all day. But Toya met me after work, & Marco was still missing.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"Nobody knows. The construction crews just stopped working on it a few years ago. The money for the project ran out, I guess. Lots of others squat here too…"

Suddenly, I felt very thankful for my job & the tiny apartment I was able to rent…

"Do you really think he'll be here?"

"I don't know." I said. "But you said that he was looking for a job? Maybe he left early this morning & didn't want to wake you." It was really the only good reason I was able to come up with. I didn't want to make Toya any more worried, but I was even starting to wonder what was happening…

We herd somebody moaning just ahead of us.

Toya moved the light around until we saw an old man lying on the floor.

"Are you ok, sir?" I asked as we approached. He attempted to look at us.

"…Toya…?" he asked, before his eyes closed. It looked like he passed out. As he did, his grip loosened & the object he was holding fell from his hand. It was half of a very old BFF necklace.

It looked like a much older match to the half that Toya wore around her neck…

* * *

**Hopefully, this chapter leaves you with some very important questions…Don't worry, you'll get the answers…in the new year…**

**Please review! Happy New Year!**


	4. Chapter 4

Alita's POV:

I handed Toya one of the coffees from the vending machine as I took a sip of my own.

"Do you want to stay with me tonight?" I asked, sitting down next to her. I had called an ambulance, & now we were sitting in the hospital waiting room. A few detectives had come to take our statements, but I'm sure we were probably allowed to leave now…

"…The doctors ran a DNA test." Toya said, wiping at her face with a tissue. She looked really upset. "You know, to see if they knew who he was? They said…" Her voice trailed off as she started to cry again.

"It's ok." I said soothingly. "We did the right thing by calling for help. Whatever they said, it's not your fault."

"They said…that guy, he's…he's Marco."

"What?" I asked. "That's impossible! I saw you with Marco yesterday, & he wasn't like this." I said. "Are they sure?"

Toya nodded. "They have medical records of all the blood donors. Besides…he was holding this." She pulled the necklace from her pocket. It was matched the other half of hers, except that it looked much older & worn.

"Those necklaces are pretty popular." I said. "We're not the only store that sells them."

"He knew my name."

"You said you guys lived there for a while, right? You must know some of the others by name."

"…It was in his eyes." she whispered. "I knew I recognized him the instant I saw him. I just couldn't remember…Now I know…" She broke off as she started crying again.

"Where is he now?" I asked.

"In a coma." Toya said between her tears.

"I'll go get us some more coffee."

* * *

I must have taken a wrong turn to get to the vending machines.

As I walked, I realized where I was. It was the same hall way that Toya & I had walked down to get to the Blood Donation Center. As I passed by, it looked like it was closed for the night…

I really shouldn't do this.

I threw the empty cups in the trash, & then went back to the door. I used my Metro card & a trick that Od had taught me to unlock the door. I slipped inside before anybody noticed.

I sat down behind the nurse's desk & turned on the computer. After a few attempts, I was able to hack into the system. Now I just needed to know what Marco's full name was…

I looked around the desk & saw the sign in book the nurse had shown us. I flipped back a few pages, & typed Marco's name into the search screen. I glanced over the file. I wasn't a doctor, but nothing seemed too bizarre, aside from a note down the bottom that said "Eligible." Eligible for what?

I looked through everything, but it wasn't until I got to the e-mail that I figured it out. The most recent e-mail was from The Home for Kin, thanking the hospital for their donation. I skimmed through the e-mail. It looked like the nurse sent them a list of names every month. Marco's name was among them…as well as Toya's…

Quickly, I shut everything down. I wasn't sure how all of this was connected…

But I knew that Toya wasn't safe.

* * *

**What do you guys think? I always love reading your ideas & theories about what you think will happen next…It lets me know if I'm leading you guys in the right direction, or if you guys are completely lost & I need to make things a little bit easier. Plus, I just think they're really interesting!**

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Alita's POV:

In hind sight, my first red flag should have been that the Home for Kin was the only rented space in a shopping center that looked like it had seen better days. At the time, though, I didn't think it was weird at all…at least, until I walked up to the front desk.

"Welcome home!" the guy said. "What can we help you with today?"

"Um…" I said, trying to think. "I…I just…feel so lost." I said, deciding to just go with whatever came to mind. "It's…just so much to deal with, having to…to live…in this world with nobody to help you or guide you…"

"Oh, you poor thing!" the guy said as he walked around to the front of the desk. With no warning, he suddenly wrapped his arms around me in a big hug. I stiffened up. Was my story too farfetched?

"Gabe's in charge around here, & he's in the back right now with a new sister, like you. Go on back, & he'll help you get settled in."

"Great, thanks." I said.

"Welcome to the family!"

* * *

I crept slowly down the hall way. I wasn't sure what this place was, but something felt really off…

"What is that?" I recognized the voce. It was Toya! Why wasn't she at the hospital with Marco?

"Oh, just a little something to get you ready to meet everybody." The other voce was male, presumably Gabe. "After all, you don't want to meet the rest of the family all dirty from living on the streets…"

"Just step inside." Gabe said. "It won't take long."

"No!" I cried, bursting through the door. The room wasn't what I expected. There was a big cylinder in the middle of the room, hooked to what looked like some sort of electronic controls. The cylinder was open, but thankfully Toya hadn't stepped in yet. She looked at me with surprise.

"Kathy?" Toya asked, surprised. "You won't believe it! Gabe told me that Marco is here! He's waiting for me!"

I was confused. "I thought you said the hospital ran a DNA test?"

"Gabe told me that those tests are almost never correct! Isn't this great news?"

I shook my head. "You can't fake a DNA test, Toya. There's no possible way to change somebody's DNA!"

Now Toya looked confused. "What…?"

"I guess we'll have to do this the hard way, then?" Gabe said. He pushed Toya into the cylinder, & before I was even able to attempt to stop him, two guys grabbed hold of me. I did my best, but I couldn't break free. I screamed, sure that whatever was happening in that cylinder was draining Toya's youth, just like what happened to Marco…

But when the doors opened, the cylinder was empty. Toya was gone.

"What did you do to her?!" I yelled. "Where is she?"

"Do you really want to know?" Gabe asked. "Let me show you." The guys who were holding me started to drag me to the cylinder. I fought & resisted as much as possible, but it was impossible to break free. They threw me in, & the door slammed shut before I had a chance to escape. I banged my fists against the side, screaming. I remember shrieking as everything started to go dark.

"_Let me out!"_

* * *

**Sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. There was so much that I wanted to fit in, but I didn't want to give you too much information at one time…so now it's two chapters! At least this will hopefully mean that it won't take as long to get the next chapter posted...**

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Alita's POV:

The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back after hitting the ground. Hard.

I sat up slowly. It was weird but I felt…virtual…like I was on Lyoko…

"Kathy?" a small voce asked. Toya was next to me. We were sitting in what looked like a small jail cell…& we weren't alone. A dozen or so people, of varying ages, were watching us fearfully.

"Hello." I said gently, not wanting to frighten them. "I'm Kathy, & this is Toya. What's your name?" I directed the question to the girl sitting closest to me.

"Nobody." the girl answered, quickly.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She just looked at me, not answering my question. I decided to try something else. "Can you tell us how we got here?"

"Oh, I can answer that." A familiar voce said. Through the bars I saw Gabe standing on the other side of the door. "You girls are in a virtual world of my own design. Do you like it? I hope so." He continued, not giving us the chance to answer his question. "You'll be spending the rest of your lives here, working for my partner."

"You won't get away with this." I said.

"Oh, but I will. I already have. Nobody's looking for you. You ran away, after all. Whatever your reasons, you chose to leave. In a way, you wanted to disappear…I'm helping you make that happen." He smiled. "Just like I did for Marco."

I felt Toya stiffen beside me. Gabe must have noticed.

"It's incredible, really. He remembered your name decades after he forgot his."

"What?" Toya asked, barely above a whisper.

"Time moves faster here than it does on Earth. You'll work the rest of your life here, which is equal to approximately one or two days on Earth. You'll be dead before anybody even knows you left!"

I gland at Toya. She looked as terrified as I did. I had to get us out of here…somehow…

Gabe pulled out a key & unlocked the door. "It's time for orientation, ladies. This is the beginning of the rest of your lives."

* * *

We were led to a large room that had about 30 or so other people in it. I was willing to bet that these were some more of the names from the hospital.

"Welcome, everybody!" Gabe said. "I handle most of the stuff on Earth, so I'll let my partner _take over _for me now." He laughed. "You get it? Because…well, you'll…" He stopped talking as a shock seemed to go through his body. I was close enough to the front to have to force myself not to gasp when he opened his eyes. It wasn't possible…

"I am XANA." Gabe said…except that it wasn't Gabe any longer. "You belong to me now." A Blok appeared next to him. They both walked towards the end of the line furthest from where I was standing. "Who are you?" XANA demanded.

"Dave." he answered. Without warning, the Blok shot him in the leg. He yelped. It seemed like the lasers hurt more here than on Lyoko…

"Wrong." XANA said. "You're nobody." He moved to the next in line. "Who are you?"

"Nobody." The girl quickly answered. XANA moved on, each person telling him that they were nobody. Eventually, he got to me.

"What's your name?"

I knew in that moment exactly what my answer was. "You don't recognize me, XANA? My name is Alita Hopper. I'm a Lyoko Warrior."

"Such insolence!" XANA said as he shot a bolt of electricity at me, sending me flying into a crate at the back of the room. This definitely hurt more than Lyoko…but I picked up a sharp piece of the broken crate, got to my feet & charged at XANA. Everybody rushed to sides of the room, trying to get out of the way.

"Look out!" somebody yelled. I turned to discover the Blok was right behind me. I dove to the floor, just missing the ice blast…It hit XANA instead. I lifted myself up just enough to stab the Blok in the eye with the piece of crate, destroying it. I shakily got to my feet. Everybody was staring at me.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

**I've never considered action sequences to be my strength, but I think this one turned out really well…What do you guys think?**

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Alita's POV:

"What do we do now?" Toya whispered. Everybody had followed me down the hall way as we left the room.

"We don't have much time before XANA thaws out & raises the alarm." I said. "We need to take this opportunity." I stopped at the end of the hall, turning to the others.

"We need to split up so we don't attract too much attention." I said. "Keep it between two & three people per team. First ones to find a way out have to get out & get help. Try to lay low, but if you have to fight, aim for the eye. Got it?" There were some nods & muttered agreements, but they were cut off by a shot above our heads. A Creeper stood at the end of the hall way.

"Take this." I told Toya, handing her the sharp piece of crate I was still holding. "I'll draw their attention away from you." I said, opening the door. We all ran out into a huge room. It looked like a fully operational factory, with people of all ages working.

I ran to the closest work table & picked up a blade. The Creeper had followed us. Dodging the lasers, I ran back to it & stabbed the eye. I needed to create a distraction, so I picked a direction & started running. I took out any monster that I saw, trying to draw their attention away to give others a chance to escape…

I had just finished off a couple of Kankrelats when I heard an explosion right behind me. I turned & saw that somebody else had destroyed a third Kankrelat that I hadn't known was there!

"Thank you." I said. He smiled & ran off. It was then that I noticed what was really happening. Most of the people were taking advantage of the confusion to try to escape. Some were trying to find shelter from the fighting.

But some were fighting back.

* * *

I was fighting a bunch of Kankrelats when XANA's voce yelled across the room "Stop this. Now." He was standing on a platform high above the room. It must be a way for him to oversee production on…whatever it was he was building.

"Nobody makes any moves." he said. My heart pounded when I saw that he had Toya hostage. Despite the fact that this was a virtual world, the knife he had pressed against her throat looked very real…& very deadly.

"Did you really think you'd escape?" XANA asked us all. He pushed Toya down on the platform as he addressed us all. "You fools! You think I'd just let you get away with this? You will obey _me_! You will…" XANA didn't get to finish his statement as he fell forward, dissolving into smoke on the way down. Toya was standing on the platform, with the piece of crate in her hand. She looked shocked at what she had just done.

She had just stabbed XANA.

I took advantage of everybody's shock to stab the Kankrelats in front of me. As the fighting resumed, I found the staircase & ran up to her.

"It's ok." I said, gently helping her away from the platform & down the steps. We would be too exposed up above. "Good job."

"I…I…"

"It's ok." I said. "You did what you had to do." I didn't honestly know how long that would keep XANA at bay…but I hoped it was just long enough…

"No, I mean…I think I found something. A way out."

"Show me."

* * *

Toya led me to a room. It looked like it had a cylinder inside that was attached to a computer. It must be how Gabe/XANA traveled from here to the real world!

"This is it!" I told her excitedly as I looked through the programs on the computer. "Go get some of the others. Try to bring only a few at a time so you don't draw attention to yourselves. I also need a few people to help defend the room, so that XANA's monsters can't destroy the equipment." Toya nodded & ran from the room.

We'd be home soon.

* * *

**Looks like things are starting to wrap themselves up…Just one more chapter to go!**

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Alita's POV:

"Well?" Toya asked, shutting off the TV as I closed & locked the door. It had been a few days since we got out of XANA's trap. I was letting Toya stay with me while I was working on destroying XANA's computer. She had even helped me get everybody out, which took a while with only one scanner. This morning, I had gone back for one more very important step.

"I've wiped it completely clean." I said with a smile. "If anybody ever finds it, which I doubt, there will be absolutely no trace of XANA left on it."

"So…it's over?" Toya asked.

"For now." I said, knowing that the war with XANA was far from over. "How's Marco?"

"The same." she said. She still visited him often, but she didn't spend all her time at the hospital with him. She seemed…different…in a good way. More independent.

"Are you still thinking about leaving?" she asked. She had helped me pack up my stuff the night before.

"Yeh…I think it's time I went back to Kadic." I said. "You can come, too, if you want."

"That's ok…I think I'll be ok on my own. I want to try to be, at least."

I nodded, respecting her decision. "Well, the rent's all paid up until the end of the month." I said, tossing her the keys. "That should give you plenty of time to find a job. I hear the clothing store where I used to work is hiring. Sounds like somebody just quit." I said with a smile, grabbing my suitcase from the dresser.

"You know, I won't be too far away." I said. "I can come visit every now & then."

"I'd like that." Toya said. "But before you go, um…I was thinking of changing my name again. You know, to start over? I was just wondering…um…I mean…Would it be ok if I changed it to…Kathy?"

"Of course." I said, touched. "I think it's perfect for you."

* * *

I had dreamed of this moment ever since I left. At the time, I thought it was just a fantasy. For as many times as I had thought about it, I suddenly wasn't sure what to say. Would he even be here?

On the other hand, when wasn't he here?

Too soon, the elevator came to a stop at the lab. Sure enough, I heard Jeremy tapping away at the keyboard. When was the last time he ate something? Was he getting any sleep at all?

"Guys, I told you, I'm fine." Jeremy said without turning around. "I'm really close to a break through."

He was lying, because he would tell me that all the time. It was his favorite excuse to work a little bit longer or stay up a little bit later.

He stopped typing & turned around. I guess he wanted to make sure he wasn't talking to himself.

That's when he noticed me.

He rushed towards me as I dropped my suitcase & met him half way. We held each other in tight embrace. As happy as I was to see him, I knew I had to say something…but where to begin? Hello? How've you been? What can I possibly say to make things right?

"…I'm sorry." I whispered. "I shouldn't have left."

Jeremy hugged me a little bit tighter.

"You don't have to apologize. Welcome home."

* * *

**Thank you for staying with me until the end! This is a story that I've wanted to write for a while now, & I'm really happy with how it turned out. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it!**

**I'll see you guys soon!**

**Please review!**


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